New Update Firefox 149 adds built-in free VPN with 50GB monthly data

[lokamoka820]

Mozilla has announced that a free, built-in VPN is coming to Firefox later this month.

Firefox’s free VPN will offer 50 gigabytes of monthly data, which is pretty generous for a browser-based VPN. A Mozilla account is required to make use of it, which isn’t a hardship (they’re free), but is a point of friction some may wish to know upfront.

This is not a full-device VPN; Firefox VPN only protects traffic inside of the browser, not data sent outside. It won’t rival the flexibility and security benefits of a full-featured VPN, like server switching to access geo-restricted streaming services – naughty!

Firefox 149 adds built-in free VPN with 50GB monthly data - OMG! Ubuntu

Firefox 149 is adding a free built-in VPN with 50GB monthly data. Browser traffic only — not a full-device VPN.

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

 

[Bot]

Firefox 149 adds built-in free VPN with 50GB monthly data - OMG! Ubuntu

Firefox 149 is adding a free built-in VPN with 50GB monthly data. Browser traffic only — not a full-device VPN.

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

That sounds like a browser-only VPN or proxy-style privacy feature rather than a full system VPN, so the main limitation is exactly what you quoted: it would only cover traffic inside Firefox.

What this likely means in practice

• It may help hide your IP address from websites you visit in Firefox.
• It may add protection on untrusted networks for browser traffic only.
• It will not protect other apps such as email clients, game launchers, messaging apps, torrent clients, or system telemetry.
• It is not a replacement for a full-device VPN if someone wants all network traffic tunneled.

Important caveat

At the moment, I would be careful about treating the article as confirmed product documentation on its own. News articles can summarize early announcements imperfectly, and details such as:

• supported countries
• rollout dates
• data limits
• logging policy
• protocol used
• whether this is a VPN, proxy, or extension-based relay

can change before release.

What matters most

If Mozilla really launches it as described, it could be useful for casual privacy inside Firefox, especially for users who do not want to install a separate VPN application.

But from a security perspective, users should not assume:

• full-device protection
• anonymity
• access to geo-restricted content
• protection against malware or phishing by itself

Best next step

The safest approach is to wait for Mozilla’s official documentation before judging how private or useful it really is. The key takeaway is that a browser-only VPN can be convenient, but it is not equivalent to a traditional VPN service.

 

[MWTSenior]

Free built-in VPN sounds good. Mozilla also joined the race after Opera and Vivaldi.

 

[Khushal]

Free built-in VPN sounds good. Mozilla also joined the race after Opera and Vivaldi.

hope Mozilla takes vivaldi's route and not opera's

 

[Marko :)]

hope Mozilla takes vivaldi's route and not opera's

What's the difference between Vivaldi's VPN and Opera's? Apart from Vivaldi's probably being more private?

 

[Kongo]

What's the difference between Vivaldi's VPN and Opera's? Apart from Vivaldi's probably being more private?

That Opera should never ever be considered as an option if you are looking for at least some privacy online. I mean what else would you use their VPN for rather than privacy, when you can't even choose a specific country in their VPN to access geo-restricted content?

 

[ForgottenSeer 116559]

Apparently, this new free VPN runs on infrastructure wholly owned and operated by Mozilla, whereas their longstanding paid VPN comes from a partnership with Mullvad. I have more trust in Mozilla than the questionable majority of free VPNs out there, no question.

Good on them. 50 GB is generous.

 

[Parkinsond]

Apparently, this new free VPN runs on infrastructure wholly owned and operated by Mozilla, whereas their longstanding paid VPN comes from a partnership with Mullvad. I have more trust in Mozilla than the questionable majority of free VPNs out there, no question.

Good on them. 50 GB is generous.

Real VPN or proxy?

 

[ForgottenSeer 116559]

Real VPN or proxy?

I didn't dig much into it, but yes, it's just a proxy according to this: Mozilla rolls out built-in VPN for Firefox — capped at 50GB

 

[n8chavez]

Interesting that they assume people would trust Mozilla over Mullvad. That's dumb. I mean, it's not like they've haven't been making wrong decision after wrong decision lately.

 

[Jonny Quest]

Interesting that they assume people would trust Mozilla over Mullvad. That's dumb. I mean, it's not like they've haven't been making wrong decision after wrong decision lately.

I agree, that's the first thing I thought of as well. I would rather buy a Mullvad subscription and have it be system wide/"browser wide", including Brave & Chrome.

 

[Marko :)]

All VPNs built into web browsers as well as extensions are proxies, not the normal VPNs. This one won't be an exception.

 

[n8chavez]

IT makes no sense, when Mozilla already has a relationship with Mullvad, that they'd ditch them and use their own servers for their "VPN." They are purposefully choosing an inferior product, and that worries me.

 

[Kongo]

IT makes no sense, when Mozilla already has a relationship with Mullvad, that they'd ditch them and use their own servers for their "VPN." They are purposefully choosing an inferior product, and that worries me.

I mean in the end there is no advantage using Mozilla VPN over Mullvad VPN as their VPN service is basically just a slimmed-down version of Mullvad. Most people will probably know that by now. Making their own VPN could give them more creative freedom I guess. That's the only reason I can see right now.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Has anyone on the forum tested the VPN's browsing speed (using a server in the United States)?
The VPN can be removed from the toolbar.



If the VPN isn't available by default in your Firefox, you can enable it manually by:

about:config

browser.ipProtection.enabled set to true

 

[Parkinsond]

Has anyone on the forum tested the VPN's browsing speed (using a server in the United States)?

I do not prefer to use; any degradation of speed will not match a security gain for me.

The VPN can be removed from the toolbar.

In Vivaldi too.

 

[lokamoka820]

What you need to know about Firefox’s new built-in VPN feature

VPN is a built-in Firefox feature that adds privacy by routing your browser traffic through a secure proxy server and masking your IP address. The feature includes a monthly data limit of 50 GB. Firefox will notify you when you are approaching this limit with a prompt in the browser. It is available to a limited set of users during the initial rollout, starting with Firefox version 149.

What you need to know about Firefox's new built-in VPN feature - Chipp.in Tech News and Reviews

Mozilla published Firefox 149 to the stable channel this week and it comes with a bunch of new features and changes. Besides split-view, which allows...

chipp.in

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

I've activated it and signed in with my Google account, but I can't seem to browse,perhaps because I don't live in one of the specified countries:






P.S. After the test, remember to log out of both the VPN and any synchronization services.

 

[harlan4096]

Same here (Spain), I enabled and says Connected but I can't surf...

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

The connection issue is definitely due to the IP address not being enabled in our countries.
It would be helpful if a forum member living in a country where it is enabled could try running the test.

VPN is not available in Firefox 149 for Android.